Sāmoa’s ocean health shows deep-sea promise, shallow-water damage, survey finds

Sāmoa's ocean health presents a dual reality: pristine coral habitats flourish in deeper waters, while shallow reefs bear the visible scars of climate change and overfishing. This picture emerges from a recent four-week National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition, conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

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Sāmoan waters are absolutely brilliant, but it’s equally on a par with some of the damage we’ve seen due to climate change and overfishing through history.

The expedition team, comprising 37 members, utilized divers, deep-sea cameras, submersibles, and environmental DNA sampling to comprehensively survey Sāmoan waters around Savai'i and other areas. Paul Rose, an expedition leader with NGPS, described the contrast between deep and shallow reefs as striking. "Sāmoan waters are absolutely brilliant, but it’s equally on a par with some of the damage we’ve seen due to climate change and overfishing through history," Rose stated.

Submersible dives to depths of 500 meters revealed remarkably healthy reefs with large table corals, described as "amazing" and "pristine." However, closer to the surface, the narrative shifts to reefs damaged by heat, with a noticeable absence of large fish and sharks. This observation reinforces the known impacts of climate change and the importance of protection.

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Our science team and our underwater media team regularly come back and say, ‘the reefs down at 40 to 50 metres were amazing’. Large table corals and unbelievable, pristine, beautiful things. But closer to the surface, the story changes.

Despite the challenges, the findings also offer a hopeful outlook, demonstrating the ocean's capacity for regeneration when communities actively protect it. Sāmoa has made significant strides with its Marine Spatial Plan, enacted this year, establishing nine new offshore marine protected areas and formalizing coastal community reserves. These measures collectively safeguard 30 percent of Sāmoa's ocean.

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Then they’ll say, ‘actually, the shallow reefs have been damaged by heat. Where are the big fish? Where are the sharks?’ That reinforces everybody’s knowledge on the effect of climate change and protection.

Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Fosi Schmidt emphasized that effective ocean management requires robust scientific information. He stated that the expedition's findings will provide a crucial baseline for long-term monitoring and guide the effective implementation of the Marine Spatial Plan. Local researchers are actively involved, integrating Sāmoan knowledge into the expedition's efforts.

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When we protect places as Sāmoa is going to, we soon see very remarkably quickly, that the ocean has this ability to regenerate itself. We’ll see those areas where the habitat is still beautiful and with a bit of protection, it can be pristine once again.